All posts by yogadeb

Are you going on holiday this summer??? Why not strike a (yoga) pose on your travels? Take a picture of yourself in your favourite yoga posture, add a witty title and enter it in our competition – you could win yourself a bag full of yoga goodies…

The competition will be judged by a panel on September 1st 2018 and the winner notified in the first week of the autumn term. By entering your photo you are agreeing for it to be published on the do-yoga website and other printed do-yoga materials.

Come along for a fun evening of gentle yoga, a meal and a raffle. This is a fabulous opportunity to meet properly the people who you practice yoga with. And you can bring your husband/wife/friends too! Everyone is welcome! We all have been touched by cancer – friends, relatives and fellow students…. so why not raise the roof and raise some funds at the same time with this summer evening event in Preston.

Hope Against Cancer is a local charity with a focus on clinical trials in Leicestershire and Rutland. Prof. Raghu Raghaven (Preston 6.00 class) is involved directly with this charity and will give us a bit more information about their work and how the money raised will be used. You can look at their website here.

No doubt about it, eye pillows help you to relax – the gentle pressure soothes and quietens the mind. Blocking out the light is a way of inducing Pratyahara (withdrawing the senses), which some people find difficult in a class situation. Our eyes receive lots of information via visual impressions which at times in our lives can become overwhelming. Practicing some yoga postures with the eyes closed (forward bends for instance) can be very soothing to the mind and of course our yogic relaxations are helpful to ease worries and anxiety. When we relax in Shavasana at the end of our class there is nothing better than an eye pillow placed over the eyes and brow.

Lavender Eye Pillow from Yogamatters are available to purchase in class £10. They include a soft lavender fragrance which is pleasantly relaxing. Eye pillows can also be used to sooth bouts of insomnia, relieve headaches, reduce puffiness and ease tired eyes.

Leicester has one of the largest concentrations of Hindu temples or mandirs outside India and on 25 March I joined the annual pilgrimage, Tirth Yatra, and walked some ten miles visiting many of these temples. I made lots of friends along the way and enjoyed the festival atmosphere as the Yatra coincided with Ram Navami, Lord Rama’s birthday. The mandirs are all very interesting and distinctive, some grand and other quite humble, but, on this auspicious day, all were a riot of colour, music and people jostling for a chance to rock the baby Rama’s cradle.

I would urge you to join me on next year’s Yatra or just drop in on one of the many mandirs at any time when you will be made to feel most welcome.

Many people get frustrated with meditation or simply have no idea where to start. Meditation is meant to be enjoyable, relaxing and a powerful tool for our health. I have put together a morning of movement and stillness, noise and silence, laughter and peace so that I can pass on this hugely rewarding practice. No previous experience of yoga is necessary – just a mat and blanket.

So what exactly is meditation? Emptying your mind like emptying your kitchen bin??? Well it can have that effect – but in a more gentle manner – we are trying to sooth the mind and reduce the ‘background’ noise. Meditation gives our mind something to focus on, so it has an anchor to hold onto. Anchors may include saying a mantra, looking at an object, watching the breath or simple movements. An anchor also helps us be fully present and live in the moment – trying to stop thoughts of the past and future.

Holding onto these anchors helps quiet our minds and then we can get a glimpse of how the mind is working. We can then get to see our worries, our obsessions and the busyness of the mind just like clouds floating in the sky. Potentially, we can choose to let these things go as we put some perspective onto the thoughts and see them as just that – thoughts. In a sense we develop our own method of managing our thoughts. Instead of our thoughts controlling us we get some control over them!

Some people see meditation like sitting at the shore of the ocean of your mind and just watching the waves come and go. We’re not pushing our thoughts away, or judging them but simply watching these thoughts as we’d watch the waves while sitting on the beach. And whilst on the beach watching each wave there’s also a sense of connection to something bigger, something that helps you put some perspective onto the thoughts.

But what if I can’t sit still? Or simply don’t have 5 minutes a day to practice? Don’t worry, meditation is not supposed to be something that is added to your to-do list. Fidgetty people are actually the ones who can benefit the most from meditation, as it helps you to r-e-l-a-x. You can meditate walking or gently moving the body in different ways as well as the traditional statue-like state. That said, being still in the body does help to be still in the mind, but this will come with practice and patience. There are many well respected studies that show how beneficial meditation is for stress reduction, productivity improvement and easing insomnia. You can read more about this here

On this MEDITATION FOR BEGINNERS workshop you will take a light hearted tour around the important aspects of meditation and explore several different methods. It is experiential (you will do things) as well as being a little theoretical, giving you some background information which will hopefully inspire and fire you up to make time for meditation in your life.

The Radiance Sutras are a wonderful set of verses which help us to stop and appreciate the present moment. They are translated from an ancient text and give us 112 ‘yuktis’, or yoga meditation practices, for opening to the divine mystery within everyday experiences… here is yukti 51…

Yoga is a way to keep healthy and happy. It was developed way before we had the science of medicine and so relied very much upon nature and observation. Yoga was developed by Sages and Gurus (wise men and teachers) thousands of years ago. Sanskrit was the language used to pass the methods on (by word of mouth for centuries and then in written format). It is said to be the oldest language and is often referred to as ‘the language of the gods’. Many of the Sanskrit words we use in class (including the names of exercises) have been passed down from these ancient times. So why should we still use them? Aren’t they a bit old fashioned? Well, I think that it’s good to keep the Sanskrit in circulation as a way of remembering that we who practice in this day and age are simply a link in a very long chain of people who have practiced yoga. True that we must acknowledge new developments in science and medicine and we wouldn’t want to be without them but, respecting the lineage of yoga gives us grounding and deep roots from which to grow. You may feel differently, but in case you are interested I’ve compiled a short list of Sanskrit terms which I feel are important to understand when you are embarking on your yoga journey…

Asana.

The correct pronunciation is AH’-sah-nah. Literally, it means “seat,” but in yoga class it’s pretty much interchangeable with the word “pose.” For example, Bhujangasana = Cobra Pose, Navasana = Boat Pose… and so on.

Namaste.

This is my favorite Sanskrit word because it’s fun to say–nah’-mah’-stay. It means: ‘The light within me respects and honours the light within you’. My incredibly simplified translation: Isn’t it awesome that we just practiced yoga together? Thanks for your presence.

Om.

Ooooooohhhhhmmmmmmm. This is the sound/vibration of the universe. But what does it mean? Essentially, we are all a part of this universe–always moving, always changing, always breathing. When you chant Om, you’re tapping into that vibration.

Shanti.

Peace. When you chant, “Om shanti shanti shanti,” it’s an invocation of peace. In Buddhist and Hindu traditions you chant shanti three times to represent peace in body, speech, and mind.

Sthira Suka Asanam

The posture should be steady and easy. This guidance from the great Sage Patanjali means that we should not strain to get into any posture or for it to be too much effort to hold.

Throughout this year we have been seeking to open our hearts – both from a physical and emotional point of view. In our work over the next 6 weeks we will be looking to release anger and fear which can often block our opportunities to show kindness and compassion. We’ll use some sideways bending to stretch the chest area and make the spine more flexible – and where the spine goes the mind tends to follow. (This is also a great workout for the inner thighs and hips – areas associated with holding deep emotions). Eventually making our way towards a suitable Pigeon pose which brings openness to the hips and, depending on the variation, openness to the chest. We’ll use some of the postures to relax deeply into, bringing a calming and relaxing quality towards the end asana work.

The technique of our breathing will be enhanced with a return to some of the basics of Pranayama and, for those who wish it, to develop their Sama Vritti Pranayama. Our relaxations will include some visualisations and story telling.

On Saturday 14th April there will be a poppy making workshop at Tinwell Village Hall to make ceramic poppies as part of the Rutland Poppy Project. You can drop in at any time between 10 and 12 to make a poppy. The poppies will then be used to create a sweeping sea of handcrafted poppies to commemorate the centenary of the end of The Great War. The installation will be staged at Oakham Castle during October and November.

The idea is to bring together people from the community – young and old – all tuition will be given. Its good fun & refreshments will be available!

Place the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat well to combine. Add the cooled date mixture, then sift in the flour, baking powder, mixed spice and salt. Add the walnuts and stir together until thoroughly mixed.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level the top. Bake for 1–1 1/4 hours or until the cake is risen and nicely browned and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool. The cake can be kept, wrapped in foil or stored in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.